I now had Dr. McLendon to give me directions to reach the place where my wife was visiting, which he did, however saying that it would be impossible for me to find the way there, on account of the darkness of the night. Nevertheless I started out and soon got lost, and when I finally gave up the effort, I found myself only three-quarters of a mile from town. I was tired, suffering with a great headache and called at a house, where I was permitted to stay for the night and, after breakfast next morning, getting fresh directions to Dr. Baldwin’s house, where my wife’s sister was stopping, I immediately proceeded there.

After discussing the situation with my friends, as well as my wife, we decided best to have them get up a hack and a confidential driver, by the next morning, which they succeeded in doing and we started on the main road, leading into the San Antonio road, following that every day, stopping at houses at night and finally reached Rusk, Cherokee County, without an accident or any trouble. Judge Wilson was again surprised at my success in bringing my family out, as he never had expected to see me again. I then told him, “Now, for a good stopping place,” and after considering all families in the town, where we might get board and none having any extra room, said, “The only place I know of, that has room is at my old daddy-in-law’s, Judge M. D. Priest, who is the meanest old Radical in the State of Texas, but he has a most excellent family, who will do all they can for your wife and child and make you feel at home. We will make a confidant of him and he will never betray you.” I said, “Judge, you know what you are doing; anything you say will be satisfactory to me.” We then proceeded to Judge Priest’s house, where I was introduced in the name of Jones and was kindly received and made to feel at home. Really we could not have found a more desirable place. We had excellent rooms and good board, just on the outskirts of the town. Rusk, at that time, was a very small place, about three or four hundred inhabitants, but it was the county seat of Cherokee County. We sent back our driver with his hack and team and he never betrayed us.

Civil Record

CHAPTER XXVII
I Get Back Into the Business World.

During the first month of our stay there, I visited the business part of town occasionally and made a few purchases at the house of Boyd, Frazer & Parks, a firm composed of John A. Boyd, who thought he was a merchant; Dr. Frazer, a practicing physician, who tried to be the bookkeeper, and M. M. Parks, who was a farmer, living out in the country, who furnished the money for the business. Boyd knew nothing about keeping or showing off his stock. In appearance it was one of the most conglomerated mixtures of merchandise I ever saw, but they were very popular men, particularly with the farmers in the country, and did a large business, considering their limited territory.

I soon got tired of lying around, doing nothing, but I felt that Rusk was about the safest place I could find anywhere, as the entire community, in sentiment, were true to the Lost Cause, with only one doubtful character, which was Judge M. D. Priest and he was really not a bad man at heart. When we confided my secret to him, telling him my life was in his hands, he appreciated fully the confidence reposed and declared that he never would betray us, which promise he fully kept and of which he afterwards expressed himself as being very proud.

Happening in to Boyd, Frazer & Parks one day, disgusted with the appearance of his stock of goods as kept, although it was none of my business, I concluded this would be a good place to get acquainted, on my knowledge of the business. I proposed to Mr. Boyd, who was the active member, running the business, that with his permission I would rearrange and straighten out his stock, without charge, as I had to remain over for a few weeks, had nothing to do and thought I could improve the appearance of things considerably. He readily consented, so I pulled off my coat and went to work, which proved a great treat to me. In a few days I had made such a change in the appearance of the stock, that customers seemed surprised and asked, “John A., have you been getting in a new stock of goods?” About the third evening, the partners got together, had a consultation and I was asked if I was able to keep books. I told them that I had kept books for a very large business in Southern Texas before the war, when they made me a proposition to go to work for them, keep their books and attend the sales department on a salary of $75.00 per month, which I accepted and soon felt here was the place to keep hid out from the powers that were, as there was no military nearer than Tyler, Jefferson and Shreveport and no one knew of my secret, except Judge Wilson and Judge Priest, whose families were not made acquainted with it.

After considerable time, spent pleasantly at the home of Judge Priest, we decided to move into town for better convenience on account of its being nearer my business. We rented an humble home and went to housekeeping. I soon had an extensive acquaintance through the county, but always in the name of Jones, yet gradually imparting my secret to the most reliable friends I made in the town, notably the Bonner brothers, Judge R. H. Guinn, Judge James E. Dillard and others. After nearly a year in the service of Boyd, Frazer & Parks, I met an old gentleman by the name of T. L. Philleo, who had done an extensive business in general merchandise before the war. Mr. Philleo had a fine storehouse on the north side of the square, empty, except as to some castings, and had owing him perhaps as much as fifty thousand dollars in notes and accounts, acquired before the war. He was unable to collect much of it and conceived the idea that to make a success of this collecting, he ought to go into business again, which he was unable to do, on account of his age. I having established a reputation of being the best merchant in the town, Philleo made a proposition to me to go into copartnership with him. While he had no money he had a most excellent credit in New Orleans and suggested that I could go down there and buy for his account such stock as I needed to enable us to enter into competition with the balance of the town. Canvassing the subject thoroughly, I decided that I could make more money with my half interest in the profits of the concern, than to work on salary. He was willing and anxious to give me the full management and control of the business. Considering my condition then, I decided best to accept, which I did, and soon proceeded to New Orleans, armed with a letter in the name of R. F. Jones, to Speak & Buckner, his old commission merchants, and other leading houses in the different lines of merchandise that we had to buy.

Arriving at New Orleans, I put up at the Southern Hotel, then the headquarters of nearly all Texas merchants, within one block of the custom house, where General Sheridan had his headquarters, and went to work, buying a general stock of merchandise for account of T. L. Philleo & Company; “R. F. Jones being the company,” so Capt. Buckner stated in introducing me. Speak & Buckner also accepted several thousand dollars on cash purchases, such as groceries and staple hardware, nails, etc., for which he asked us to send him cotton in the fall. I now returned home with my purchases and began to feel that I had a new life before me and some prospect of making a good living.

I arranged my stock very attractively, for which the house was well suited, though I had some trouble inducing farmers to come over on my side of the square. It was the only business house over there, the center of business being located on the east and south side. By close application and hard work I gradually succeeded in building up a fair business.